Adjustable roller support for sliding doors



May 19, 1970 B. PovoDE-N 3,512,209

ADJUSTABLE ROLLER SUPPORT FOR smnme DOORS Filed July 9, 1965 mum ' INVENTOR. 25 BRUNO P-OVODEN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,512,209 ADJUSTABLE ROLLER SUPPORT FOR SLIDING DOORS Bruno Povoden, Rexdale, Ontario, Canada, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Microdot Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of California Filed July 9, 1965, Ser. No. 470,772 Int. Cl. Ed 13/02 US. Cl. 16105 3 Claims This invention relates to roller supports for sliding doors or panels for use in closing openings in buildings such as doorways.

An object is to produce a new and improved roller assembly of the above character in which the roller is adjustably mounted to insure that the door or panel to which such assembly is attached is properly guided along the supporting track.

Another object is to produce a simple and efficient adjusting device for the supporting roller to enable adjustment thereof after being mounted in the sliding panel, thereby to insure the proper sliding movement and to compensate for irregularities or lack of parallelism between the door panel and frame parts.

A further object is to provide a roller of the above character with spring means for constantly urging same against the track not only to cushion the sliding panel but also to space the same in proper relationship in the installed position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and, for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a sliding door panel and its frame, the panel being equipped with supporting rollers;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the panel showing the sill and supporting track in section;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of a supporting roller assembly showing by broken lines the manner of mounting same-in a panel; FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation partly in section of a supporting roller assembly, part of the housing being removed to-show a portion of the yoke housingfor the roller and the screw for adjusting the position of the roller;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3; I

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation partly in section of an alternate form of roller assembly; and

FIG. 7 is a transverse section on the line 77 of FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates an adjustable roller supporting device two of which are shown mounted in recesses or cavities in the lower portion of the horizontally sliding door panel 12, which is generally contained by a door frame 13 having a sill 14 provided with an upstanding horizontally extending rail 15, on which the rollers ride. Each roller is in the form of a grooved wheel 16, which in this instance has a rim portion 16a of nylon, the inner edge of the nylon insert having a metal lining 16b which rotates about a relatively stationary disc-like hub portion 160. It will be understood that the parts 16a, 16b and 160 constitute a unit and are purchased as such on the market. Rigid with the hub portion 160 and arrangedconcentric thereof is an axle 17, a portion of which extends on each side of the hub portion 160.

The wheel assembly is carried by a U-shaped sheet metal yoke-like housing 18, which has a pair of laterally spaced parallel sidewalls 19 and an end wall 20. Formed in each of the side walls and in registry with each other is an upwardly and rearwardly inclined elongate slot 21, through which the end portions of the axle 17 for the roller assembly project.

The wheel supporting yoke housing 18 is disposed within a main housing 22, which is also of sheet metal and has a top horizontally disposed wall 23, a pair of depending laterally spaced parallel sidewalls 24 and an end wall 25, which is adjacent the end wall 20 of the yoke housing 18. Formed in each of the sidewalls 2.4 and in registry with each other is a slot 26, which is upwardly and forwardly inclined, the slots 21 and 26 being disposed in crossing relation and the end portions of the axle 17 extending through the respective pairs of crossing slots.

Formed in the end wall 20 of the yoke housing 18 is an integral nut 27, which is threadedly engaged by an adjusting screw or bolt 28 which extends freely through a hole 29 in the housing end wall 25. On the outer end of the screw 28 is a knurled head 30, which also may be formed with a Wrench-receiving socket as indicated on FIG. 2. The knurled head is accessible for adjusting purposesthrough a hole 31 in the door 12. The entire supporting roller assembly is secured in the panel recess 11 by screws 32, which extend through holes in the top wall 23 of the housing.

It will be understood that by manipulating the adjusting screw 28 the roller unit can be caused to move inwardly or outwardly with respect to the main housing 22. By actuating the adjusting screw 28 to cause the yoke housing 18 to be shifted tothe right of FIG. 3, the cooperating action of the end portions of the axle 17 with the crossing slots 21 and 26 causes the grooved wheel to be shifted outwardly of the main housing 22. Manifestly the cooperating cam action between the wheel axle and the crossed slots causes the wheel to move vertically up and down depending upon the direction in which the adjusting screw 28 is manipulated. As above mentioned, movement of the end wall 20 or yoke toward the end wall 25 of the main housing 22 causes the roller to be moved or shifted outwardly of the housing and manipulation in the opposite direction enables the wheel 16 to be moved inwardly of the housing due to the weight of the door panel 12.

A slightly modified form of the invention is shown on FIGS. 6 and 7, in which the same reference numerals used above are employed where the elements are in common. However, in this form the yoke housing 18 instead of having the top open as above described has a top wall 33, which may be a separate piece suitably fixed as welding to the upper edges of the sidewalls 19. Intermediate the top wall 33 of the yoke and the top wall 23 of the main housing is interposed a helical spring 34, which constantly urges the yoke housing downwardly or away from the housing wall 23. The spring 34 also functions to cushion the action of the wheel 16 and to insure that it is at all times in contact with the supporting rail 15 regardless of irregularities or lack of parallelism between the door panel and frame parts.

Numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement, operation and choice of materials may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A device for use with a sliding door panel and a rail along which the door panel rides, said device comprising a main housing having an open bottom and adapted to be recessed in the door panel, said main housing having a pair of parallel laterally spaced sidewalls and an end wall, a yoke housing within said main housing for sliding movements therein, said yoke housing having parallel laterally spaced sidewalls closely adjacent the inside of the sidewalls of said main housing and an end wall spaced from said end wall of said main housing, diagonal slots in each of said sidewalls, the slots 3 oi the yoke housing sidewalls inclining vertically in one direction and the slots in the sidewalls of said main housing inclining in the opposite direction, and adjacent slots of the respective housings being in partial alignment, a roller assembly 'betweenthe sidewalls of said yoke housing with a portion of the roller projecting below both housings for engagement with the rail, an axle part projecting from ,each side of the roller assembly into the respective partially aligned slots, a rigid nut on said end wall of said yoke housing, there being "a hole in said housing,"diagonal slots in each of said yoke housing sidewalls, the said diagonal slots inclining relative to the main housing end wall in alignment with said nut, a bolt 5% extending through said hole into threaded engagement with said nut and a head on said bolt on the outer side of said hole whereby turning of said bolt shifts said yoke housing to cause said roller tojaroject a greater or lesser extent from said main'housing 'due to the cooperative action of said diagonal slots and axle parts.

2. The organization as claimed in claim 1 comprising a top wall on the yoke housing, and a spring interposed between said top Wall and the top wall of the main housing for constantly biasing the yoke housing for urging the grooved wheel in a direction out of the main housing.

3. A device for use with a sliding closure member and a rail along which the closure member rides, said device comprising a main housing having an open bottom and adapted to be recessed in the closure member, said main housing having a pair of parallel laterally spaced sidewalls and an end wall, a yoke housing Within said main housing for sliding movement therein, said yoke housing having parallel laterally spaced sidewalls closely adjacent the inside of the sidewalls of said main housing and an end wall spaced from said end wall of said main direction of sliding movement of said yoke housing, and other slots in the sidewalls of said main housing, said other slots being disposed at an angle to the direction of sliding movement of said yoke housing and adjacent slots of the respective housings being in partial alignment, a roller assembly between the sidewalls of said yoke housing with a portion of the roller projecting below both housings for engagement with the rail, an axle part projecting from each side of the roller assembly into the respective partially aligned slots, screw threaded adjustment means connecting said end walls of said yoke and main housings whereby turning of said adjustment means shifts said yoke housing to cause said roller to project a greater or lesser extent from said main housing due to the cooperative action-of said slots and axle parts.

References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,060,524 10/1962 Tucker c 16-105 3,040,391 6/1962 Saunders -16-10s 587,492 8/1897 Prouty 16-105 3,030,654 4/1962 1 Migneault et al 1691 FOREIGN PATENTS 44,227 7/1927 Norway.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner I. H. MCGLYhIN, Assistant Examiner 

1. DEVICE FOR USE WITH A SLIDING DOOR PANEL AND A RAIL ALONG WHICH THE DOOR PANEL RIDES, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A MAIN HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN BOTTOM AND ADAPTED TO BE RECESSED IN THE DOOR PANEL, SAID MAIN HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF PARALLEL LATERALLY SPACED SIDEWALLS AND AN END WALL, A YOKE HOUSING WITHIN SAID MAIN HOUSING FOR SLIDING MOVEMENTS THEREIN, SAID YOKE HOUSING HAVING PARALLEL LATERALLY SPACED SIDEWALLS CLOSELY ADJACENT THE INSIDE OF THE SIDEWALLS OF SAID MAIN HOUSING AND AN END WALL SPACED FROM SAID END WALL OF SAID MAIN HOUSING, DIAGONAL SLOTS IN EACH OF SAID SIDEWALLS, THE SLOTS OF THE YOKE HOUSING SIDEWALLS INCLINING VERTICALLY IN ONE DIRECTION AND THE SLOTS IN THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID MAIN HOUSING INCLINING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AND ADJACENT SLOTS OF THE RESPECTIVE HOUSINGS BEING IN PARTIAL ALIGNMENT, A ROLLER ASSEMBLY BETWEEN THE SIDEWALLS OF SAID YOKE HOUSING WITH A PORTION OF THE ROLLER PROJECTING BELOW BOTH HOUSINGS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RAIL, AN AXLE PART PROJECTING FROM EACH SIDE OF THE ROLLER ASSEMBLY INTO THE RESPECTIVE PARTIALLY ALIGNED SLOTS, A RIGID NUT ON SAID END WALL OF SAID YOKE HOUSING, THERE BEING A HOLE IN SAID MAIN HOUSING END WALL IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID NUT, A BOLT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOLE INTO THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NUT, AND A HEAD ON SAID BOLT ON THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID HOLE WHEREBY TURNING OF SAID BOLT SHIFTS SAID YOKE HOUSING TO CAUSE SAID ROLLER TO PROJECT A GREATER OR LESSER EXTEND FROM SAID MAIN HOUSING DUE TO THE COOPERATIVE ACTION OF SAID DIAGONAL SLOTS AND AXLE PARTS. 